For more than two years now, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has been functioning with only one runway. So when contractors completed construction of the airport's new $750-million South Runway—on schedule—officials were more than ready to celebrate.
And so it was on Sept. 18, when Broward County officials welcomed a JetBlue flight to break in the new 8,000-ft-long South Runway. As shown below, the JetBlue pilots got in on the act, too, celebrating their placement of the facility's first skid marks.
JetBlue pilots celebrate their contribution to the new runway. (Photos courtesy Broward County Aviation Dept./Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport)
But in all seriousness, it was an arduous set of tasks that got airport officials to this point. As ENR Southeast reported last year, the estimated $750-million project effectively extended the airport's boundaries by elevating the new runway up and over U.S. Highway 1, onto a manmade earthen embankment on the airport's east side.
A joint venture of Tutor Perini and Baker Concrete Construction held responsibility for building the massive bridge structures that jumped the runway over the highway. At the same time, a joint venture of Odebrecht Construction and Central Florida Equipment handled construction of the massive, 60-ft-tall earthen embankment.
For more details on the project's construction, readers can check out ENR Southeast's feature story here. Below are aerial photos of the completed project, courtesy of the Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete joint venture.
A view of the runway's supporting bridge structures, which were built by a joint venture of Tutor Perini and Baker Concrete Construction. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
An east view of the runway. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
A view of the bridge structures, looking north. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
Another view looking north. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
And looking south at the bridge structures. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
Looking northwest, from the east end of the project. A joint venture of Odebrecht Construction and Central Florida Equipment was responsible for the embankment's construction. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
At the east end of the project, looking southwest. (Photo courtesy Tutor Perini/Baker Concrete Construction)
